Matthew Slater has finally put down his helmet. For more than one and a half decades, the wide receiver for special teams has held a hero status for the New England Patriots faithful. And it should not come as a surprise that the former boss Bill Belichick is a big fan of his.

The 38-year-old achieved all that could be by a footballer on the gridiron, during his career. Slater has seen the highs and lows of the game. However, this remark by his former head coach Belichick must hold a special place in the WR’s heart.

Bill Belichick believes in his pupil

Belichick employed Slater’s services during those special and must-win situations. And rarely did Slater disappoint his former HC. Hence, before the beginning of the last season, the 6-time Super Bowl champion coach heaped praise on Slater.

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“I’ve been very fortunate”, said Belichick in the interview, before revealing the reasons for his fortunes. “I coached the best offensive player, Tom, the best defensive player in football in L.T., and the best special teams player in football in Matt Slater”, said Belichick.

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“As a core special-teamer, Slater is the best of all time. I hope he gets recognized for that.” continued Belichick. Slater could consider himself lucky to receive such a compliment, but luck had nothing to do with it. As the former Patriots star, nothing was handed to him and he worked extremely hard to achieve this mammoth success.

Matthew Slater can look back at his journey with pride

Slater was drafted by the Patriots in the 2008 NFL Draft in the fifth round as the 153rd overall pick. From his rookie year itself, he impressed fans and the coaches with his exceptional ability to minimize kick return yardage.

And through the years of success, his star shone bright, earning Pro Bowl honors on 10 occasions. The 38-year-old went on to win Super Bowl 3 times as well. And the Patriots loyal has cemented his claim to Hall of Fame honors as well.

Do you think Matthew Slater will get into the Hall of Fame? Let us know in the comments.

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